Word of the Day: Punishment

When a dog trainer talks about punishment they are using the word as it is defined in operant conditioning.  Operant conditioning is a term first coined by the psychologist B.F. Skinner to describe how animals learn.  Operant conditioning is about making associations between a behavior and a consequence, thereby decreasing or increasing the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated.

Punishment is defined as any adverse event or outcome that decreases the behavior it follows.  An effective punishment will either decrease the intensity of a behavior or decrease the likelihood that it will be performed again in the future.

There are two types of punishment, positive punishment and negative punishment.  "Positive" and "negative" here are defined by their mathematical definitions of adding and subtracting.

Positive punishment means to add a stimulus that will decrease a behavior.  For example, a traditional trainer might using a sharp snap of the leash to correct a dog that does not follow a command.

Negative punishment means to remove a stimulus, thereby decreasing the behavior.  An example of this would be removing the opportunity for the dog to obtain a reward.  A trainer might remove a dog's food dish if they are rushing towards it, cue them to sit calmly and then return the dish only when the dog is calm. The removal of the food dish would be negative punishment while returning it when the dog is behaving calmly would be positive reinforcement.

The tricky part about understanding punishment as it applies to learning theory is whether an event is an effective punishment ultimately depends on the subject's (the animal being punished) interpretation of the event.  A stern "No!" might be adversive for one dog but for another this may be taken as an invitation to play.   Likewise, some dogs are not food motivated so removing the opportunity to receive a treat may not result in a decrease in behavior from them.  Many people incorrectly assume that what works for one dog will work for another and therefore fall into the trap of escalating punishments to try to get their desired result.

Modern trainers (a.k.a. positive reinforcement trainers, clicker trainers, reward based trainers) will typically only use positive reinforcement along with negative punishment to train dogs.  Negative punishment can be effectively used to help train many behaviors that are otherwise reinforced by their owners attention.  A great example of this is a dog jumping on their owner when they return home.  The dog is trying to obtain attention from the owner but the owner doesn't like being plowed over when they come in the door.  By turning away from the dog or removing themselves from the room the owner removes the opportunity for reinforcement through attention and the dog will be less likely to try to jump up in the future.  After the dog has stopped jumping you can then introduce positive reinforcement by rewarding the dog with petting and praise if they have their feet on the floor or are sitting calmly.

For more great articles find us at our new home: